5Ushmartem et chukotai ve'et mishpatai asher ya'aseh otam ha'adam vachai bahem ani Adonai
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In this aliyah the Torah touches on one of the most central prohibitions in Judaism, the prohibition of consuming blood, and continues into broader moral foundations of identity and conduct.
”Ki hadam hu banefesh yekhaper”
“Venatati fanai banefesh ha’okhelet et hadam vehikhrati otah mikerev amah” (And I will set My face against the soul that eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people, verse 10).
The blood is a symbol of life itself, “ki nefesh habasar badam hi” (for the life of the flesh is in the blood, verse 11), and therefore it belongs exclusively to the offering on the altar, not for human consumption. This is a holiness that one does not touch. Only Hashem may receive it, through the altar alone.
Hunted? Pour Out the Blood and Cover With Earth
“Asher yatzud tzeid chayah o of… veshafach et damo vekhisahu be’afar” (Who hunts wild game or fowl… shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth, verse 13).
Even at the moment of slaughtering a permitted animal, the person is required to honor its life. To eat, yes. But with a blessing, with modesty, with awareness of the life that has been taken.
Even for Impurity, Cleanliness Is Required
“Vekhol nefesh asher tokhal nevelah uterefah… vekhibes begadav verachatz bamayim… ve’im lo yekhabes uvesaro lo yirchatz venasa avono” (And every soul that eats a carcass or a treifah… shall wash his clothes and bathe in water… and if he does not wash and his flesh does not bathe, he shall bear his iniquity, verses 15-16).
The Torah demands personal responsibility. If you have entered impurity, leave it through cleansing, in both senses. Do not sweep aside, but become pure.
Not Like Egypt and Canaan
“Kema’aseh eretz Mitzrayim… ukhma’aseh eretz Kena’an… lo ta’asu” (Like the practice of the land of Egypt… and like the practice of the land of Canaan… you shall not do, verse 3).
The Jewish people are commanded not to imitate a corrupt culture, even if it is splendid and “leading”. Instead: “Et mishpatai ta’asu ve’et chukotai tishmeru” (My judgments you shall do, and My statutes you shall keep, verse 4), because the right path is determined by Hashem, not by changing fashions.
”Vachai bahem”
“Asher ya’aseh otam ha’adam vachai bahem” (Which a person shall do, and live by them, verse 5).
The mitzvot are not punishment or burden, they are life. Only by keeping them does a person truly live, in soul, in spirit, and in neshamah.
It is wonderful to see how the Torah weaves holiness, morality, and meaning throughout the details of life, from blood to the great laws.